Improvement in kilns



G. A, WEDEKIND 8L H. DU'EEERG,

Improvement in Kilns.

gang/A0 g 9 A. A.

MM a.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIcE.

GUSTAVUS A. VVEDEKIND AND HELMUTH DUEBERG, OF BALTIMORE, MD.

IMPROVEMENT IN KILNS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 114,499, dated May 2, 1871.

To all whom it mayconcefrn:

Be it known that we, GUsTAvUs A. WEBE- KIND and HELMUTH DUEBERG, both of the city and county of Baltimore and State of Maryland, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Burning-Kilns; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable those skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification, in which drawing- Figure 1 is a horizontal section of our invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of a portion ofthe same, the plane of section being indicated by the line y y, Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the same, taken in the plane indicated by the line z z, Fig l.

Similar letters indicate corresponding parts.

This invention relates to certain improvements on that class of kilns which are known by the term progressive kilns, and consists in a certain arrangement, within a series of down-draft kiln-chambers, of furnaces, partition-walls, bridge-walls, and ilues, which, when said chambers are arranged in an endless circuit, allow the kiln to be worked continuously.

The fire progresses from one of said chambers to the succeeding ones in the series, and the Waste heat passes off from that chamber which is under lire into the next following chambers, while the air supporting the combustion in the former has either wholly or partially been heated by passing through preceding chambers lled with already-burned goods in the process of being cooled off.

For some purposes-for instance, for the ,glazing of stonewareit is necessary not to expose the goods immediately after burning to a draft of air, for which purpose we have provided air-channels running under the iloor or in the side walls of the kiln-chambers, and communicating with the latter through snitable openings provided with dampers, in such a manner that the air, after having been heated by passing through a chamber full of newlyburned goods, can be made to pass under or by one or more of the next succeeding cham bers, and allowed to enter any of the other chambers in the series not circulating through that chamber the contents of which were burned last, thus allowing the ware to remain glowing for some time without being exposed to a draft of air.

The kiln, as represented in Figs. l, 2, and 3, consists of a series of burningchambers, A A, which resemble those which are known by the name of down-draft kilns.77 Each of them is provided with a doorway, b, and with a furnace, VVB, which latter may bel provided with an ash-pit and grate, as shown in the drawing. The grates, however, may also be placed outside the kiln-chambers, in the outer wall of the same, so that only the flames enter the chambers, and the arrangement may be made thus: that there are two grates, one on each side of the lire-chamber, instead of one grate inside the same.

The grates when placed outside the kiln become more durable, since the same in this case are not exposed to such excessive heat as when placed inside. In case the grates are placed inside the kiln the fuel may be dropped through apertures din the arch of the kiln. Usually, however, fuel Ais introduced through the fire-doors b.

A wall, C, separates the lire-chambers from the burning-chambers. This wall may be carried clear up to the top of the kiln, and perforated with a large number of holes to allow the llames to enter the burning-chamber; or one large opening may be left between the top of the wall and the arch of the kiln, thus'compelling the flames first to ascend from the furnace to the top of the burning-chamber,

whence they will descend again through the f goods contained in the same.

Each chamber communicates with the next succeeding one by openings in the bottom of the'partition-walls F, and thereby the fire, after having ascended to the top of the chamber, is drawn down through the goods to the lloor of the kiln. The floor may be perforated, (not shown in the drawing,) the perforations communicating with llues underneath leading into openings t', whereby a more uniform distribution of the heat throughout the chambers is obtained.

The openings t' can be closed by slides 76,

are closed, and the damper h, Fig. 1, of cham-v ber 5 is opened, all others being closed, and the ash-pit-of-chamber 1 is opened. When a fire is lighted in the furnace of chamber 1 a draft of air passes through the 'several chambers 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 to the smoke-chamber 1) and chimney E, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2. The lire 'ascends between the walls F and C tothe top of chamberl, and thence passes down through the goods contained in the same. The waste heat from chamber 1 escapes through the openings t and passes through the succeeding chambers, thereby heating the material contained in them.

When-the material in chamber 1 is sufficiently burned, fuel is fed into the furnace of chamber 2, which fuel is instantly ignited by the waste heat of chamber 1, and the combustion is either vsupported only byA the hot air coming from chamber 1, or by the latter mixing with cold v air from outside entering the furnace through the grate. By this time chamber 6 has been filled with fresh material, and the slides 7c between 5 and 6 are opened, and those between 6 and 7 are closed. -Then the damper 7L ofY chamber 5 is closed and that of chamber 6 opened, allowing the waste heat to pass also through chamber 6, so as to heat the material contained therein. The material contained in chamber 1, being now exposed to a draft of cold air, is gradually cooled, while the air in passing through-this glowing vmaterial in said chamber becomes heated before it enters chamber 2. When the material in chamber 2 is burned fuel is introduced into the furnace of chamber 3, and chamber 7 having been filled with fresh-material isauneXed to the preceding-chambers by changing the position of the slides k, and by opening the damper h of chamber 6.

When the material in chamber 3 is burned fuel is'introduced into the furnace of chamber 4, and chamber 8 is annexed, andthen the iire is lighted in chamber 5, and chamber 9 is filled. By that time the burned material contained in chamber l1 is sufficiently cooled to be taken out, while fresh material is introduced into chamber 10, and the draft of air passing through the burned material in the previous chambers serves to cool vthe previously-burned material and takes up thc heat, so that it reaches the furnace of chamber 5 in a red-hot state.

While chamber 1 has been emptied the chamber 1()V has been filled, and is then added to the foregoing chambers, and the burning ofthe material in chamber 5 has been completed, the fire is lighted in chamber 6, chamber 2 is emptied, chamber 1 is refilled, and the iire advanced from 6 to 7.

In this way the process of burning,.the tak'- ing out of the burned goods, and the filling in of fresh material goes on without interruption.. All the chambers of the kiln, except'one or two, are always filled, one part with fresh material to be burned, which is gradually heated, another part with burned material that is gradually cooling off, and in one chamber the process o f burning isV just progressing, this chamber being situated between V,those containing burned material and those containing fresh material. l

In using our kiln for burning pottery or glazed ware, it is necessary that when the burning has just been nished-the draft of air be prevented from traveling through such goods, as the same would be liable to beinjured by rapid coolingl and coming in contact with loose ashes.

We therefore provide flues m, with dampers a, (see Figs. 2 and 3,) either under or on the sides of the chambers,for the purpose of enabling the draft of air -to avoid that 4chamber containing the newly-burned goods, causing it, for instance, to enter chamber 10, an'd passing under Ychamber 1 (which in this case is supposed to contain the newly-burned goods) into chamber 2. This purpose can be readily effected by properly adjusting the slides k and dampers n. For instance, if the goods in chamber 3 have been burned last, the damper 7c between 3 and 4 is closed, and the damper u between 2 and 3 is opened. The current of air passes through chambers 1 and 2, but it cannot circulate through chamber 3. lt turns down into the bottom flue fm under said chamber, and up into chamber 4.

In the drawing a kiln is shown containing ten burning-chambers; but it is obvious that their number can be increased or diminished. If the number of burnin g-chambers is very large, fire may be kept up in two or more chambers simultaneously, the series of cham bers being interrupted as often by the slides k.

The series of burning-chambers may also be limited, or arranged in a straight or curved line of limited length. The operation-of such limited kilns,-of course, cannot be continuous. After all the chambers of the series have been filled with fresh material a iire is started in the first chamber, and successively made to progress through the succeeding chambers until it reaches the last one, Where it is left to go out. f When the burned goods have been taken out, and the chambers have been filled with fresh material, a new fire is to be started in the iirst chamber of the series.

What we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The arrangement, Within a progressive kiln, in a zigzag course, passing up from the fireof the permanent Walls F C, one on each side place and down through the material to be of the flre-eha1nber, the walls C being open burned, as herein set forth.

at the top, While the Walls F are provided with GUST. A. WEDEKIND. apertures near their bottoms, said apertures HELMUTH DUEBERG. being capable of being opened or closed by Witnesses: A

slides, thereby compelling the heated air to MORRIS STRONG,

pass through the several burning-chambers W. H. RATCLIFFE. 

